Rosita is hard to miss. She's extremely tall, long and yellow. And she was our home and transportation for a nine-week odyssey across South America.

Rosita is one of several custom-built vehicles that international adventure tour operator Tucan Travel use to take people on trips of a lifetime. I decided to sign on for the Rosita adventure because the idea of an overland trip appealed to me more than a trip that flies over everything -- I like to see the land and the people up close and personal. Our expedition began on the west coast and finished on the east, traversing six countries and 10,316 kilometres in 66 days.

It was, in a word, unforgettable.

We started our journey in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. A country that's regrettably overlooked in terms of tourism, Ecuador has some wonderful destinations: Misahualli on the Napo River, a tributary of the magnificent Amazon; Baños, where some of our group tried their skills at rock-climbing, whitewater rafting and canyoning in the shadow of the active volcano Tungurahua (which erupted last January); and Cuenca, home to the world-famous Panama hats.

Leaving the lush green mountains of Ecuador, I was shocked to cross the Peruvian border and encounter hundreds of miles of desert along the coast. Sandboarding and dune buggy-riding at Huacachina had me screaming with delight -- what a rush! Peru, famous for the Nazca Lines, Cuzco, the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, has other fascinating destinations, such as the mud city of Chan Chan, the colonial city of Arequipa, the Sacred Valley and the floating Uros Islands of Lake Titicaca.

A few of us took the Lares Trek to Machu Picchu instead of the famous Inca Trail. I was initially disappointed to take the less famous route, but not for long. The Lares Trek is shorter, higher and less popular, and goes through several Andean villages. We felt like Santas, giving out small toys and flatbread to the village children who politely waited for us to pass by.

Bolivia is home to the endlessly fascinating La Paz, with its Witch's Market, Valley of the Moon and "Most Dangerous Road in the World." But it also has the city of Potosí, where we brought dynamite and alcohol to miners during a silver mine tour, and the mesmerizing Salar de Uyuni, the world's highest salt flats, which, during the rainy season, turns into the world's largest reflecting pool.

Salta, in Argentina, allowed me to not only indulge in delicious asado, Argentinian barbecue, but to ride with gauchos, zip-line over canyons, and whitewater raft down spectacular rivers. Then it was across the seemingly endless Chaco lowlands area into Paraguay and its tree-lined capital, Asunción.

Straddling the border of Argentina and Brazil, we experienced the gorgeous Iguazu Falls (275 of them during the rainy season!) on foot, in a boat (wearing our swimsuits) and by helicopter.

Parati, a pirate village on the Pacific coast, was the perfect respite before the dynamo that is Rio de Janeiro at Carnival time. Like most people, I had a preconceived image of what Carnival would be: skimpily clad women parading down the street. I was so wonderfully surprised and delighted by an awesome display of creativity and imagination, with 12 samba schools vying for a championship over two nights of competition. It made an extraordinary end to our unforgettable journey.

Wendy Rockburn is a theatre stage manager who lives in Orléans. She visited South America last winter.

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If You Go

Getting there: Delta Airlines flies to Quito from Ottawa and back from Rio, both ways through Atlanta.

The overland trip: Go to www.tucantravel.com to order a catalogue. In Canada, you book through Trek Escapes in Toronto (1-866-338-TREK or www.trekescapes.com). The trip I took was called "Sumac."

Cost: This 62-night trip cost $3,500, plus a local payment of $1,400 U.S., with an optional four-day add-on if your trip coincides with Rio's Carnival. About 65 per cent of nights are spent in hotels, 35 per cent camping.

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